RCPCH Officer for Mental Health, Dr Sam Jones said:
Action has long been needed on the online harms affecting children and young people. Paediatricians are seeing growing numbers of children experiencing mental, physical and emotional harms linked to online activity, with these impacts increasingly presenting in clinics and hospitals.
However, children’s experiences online are nuanced, and while the overall harms outweigh the benefits of children being online, reforms must reflect this complexity. The priority must be to reduce children’s exposure to harmful content online, including the impact of algorithms and addictive platform features, and create safer digital environments to better support young people’s health and development.
We urge Government to closely monitor the ongoing impact of this ban and ensure any unintended consequences are identified and addressed, particularly for vulnerable children and young people, including those with ongoing health needs and those living in care.